New to the wetshaving world!

Hello all,

My name is Steve, and I stumbled upon the world of wetshaving completely by accident. I was reading an article on menshealth.com, and in it was a link for the Art of Shaving. After snooping around a bit and finding some other sites (including this one), I decided to give it a try. I ordered the 6-cream sample pack from The Shave Den so I can get an idea of what I do and don't like. I recently purchased a Henckels razor from BlackStangAl in the BST forum, so now all I need is a brush and a strop. I think I'm going to go for the Savile Row 3118 brush, as I've heard nothing but great things about it, and it's a great price for a Silvertip brush.

Here's my plan to introduce myself to the straight razor experience. Tell me how this sounds:

1. Begin by replacing the aerosol shaving gel with the cream/brush. Learn how to make good lather, figure out how much water to use, and continue shaving with my trusty (albeit costly) Sensor3.

2. Once my lather-building skills are proficient, begin introducing the straight razor. On weekends - when I have the time to go slowly and not feel rushed - use the straight razor on my cheeks only. Develop a good feel for proper angles, learn to use both hands, and become comfortable holding a ridiculously sharp blade against my face. Finish the neck, chin, and upper lip with the Sensor.

3. Slowly expand my straight razor use to the neck, chin, and lip. Continue to use the Sensor for tricky spots, or when time is a factor.

4. Eventually develop the skills to use the straight for my entire face, every day.

That's the plan, anyway. Since I'm in the Air Force, I have to be clean-shaven every day. Thus, I'll start with the straight on weekends, since I've read here that the first few shaves aren't all that close. Gotta stay within regs, you see...

That will also allow me to research a strop without making me feel rushed. I'm leaning towards one of Tony Miller's 3" latigo strops, unless someone has a better idea (read: anybody wanna sell a used strop to a new guy for cheap?).

Thanks for a great site, and I look forward to interacting with all of you on a regular basis!

Big Steve

hey welcome to the site!!!!

Welcome to our community,,,enjoy

Welcome Steve. Your plan sounds like a good one whatever you are comfy with. At some point, you can do a complete shave with the straight and then clean up with your usual blade. Practice makes perfect (or at least better :D ). Ask lots of questions.

Jordan

Welcome aboard, Steve. Sounds like a great plan, and hats off to you and your service!

Tony has some fantastic strops! However, sometimes it's good to start out with a used or somewhat cheaper strop. Chances are, you might nick the leather as you're learning to strop correctly, and it can be less painful if you didn't spend a whole lot! :)

You could definitely place a "wanted" ad in the BST for a strop. I'm sure someone here has a spare they will sell you.

Good luck!
~Chris